


Touch doesn't have to hurt

by NovemberWings



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blink And You Miss It Slash, Comforting Peter, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugging, Hurt!Mantis, Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Other, Past Abuse, Post-Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Touching, scared, slash if you want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 00:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14320632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovemberWings/pseuds/NovemberWings
Summary: Mantis has joined the guardians but there has been a little bit of miscommunication. When Peter goes to touch Mantis, she's scared and Peter is determined to find out why.





	Touch doesn't have to hurt

Ego had been defeated about two weeks ago now and the crew was on the mend, Sure things were different, but how could they not be. They’d all grown up, especially Peter, but on the most part, they were all a lot more mature, but not too mature. Also, Mantis had stayed on board with them, considering that she really had nowhere else to go and she was one of them now. Kraglin had decided to stay with a group of other ravages for a bit, not too keen to get rid of that lifestyle quite yet.

It was honestly just a normal day on the ship. Music playing quietly in the background and the crew were scattered in respective places, they were just floating through space, thinking that they’d earned a couple weeks off after Ego. Rocket and Groot were in the engine room fiddling with a bomb of some kind probably. Gamora in her room, reading, and Drax in his room just doing Drax things. Peter was sitting at the ‘kitchen’ table, they didn’t really have a kitchen kitchen but he was sitting playing solitaire by himself, while Mantis was making herself a drink. It was calm, it was quiet, save for the music that continuously played on the ship. It was nice.

That was suddenly interrupted when Mantis dropped her glass on the floor, effectively shattering it. She let out a shocked squeal before falling to her knees and starting to collect the pieces. Peter immediately looked up from his cards at the noise and stood up startled, before calmly walking around the table to start helping Mantis pick up the shards. When he reached the other side of the table he saw that Mantis was anything but calm. Her hands were shaking, her breathing erratic.

Peter was a little shocked and confused at her reaction, it was only a glass? He crouched down next to her, she didn’t look up as she continued to try and pick up pieces of glass, only to have another bit fall out of her trembling hands.  
“Hey, hey.” He spoke softly, “Are you okay?” he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she flinched violently away from, falling back against the cupboard and staring at him with wide eyes, he just crouched still, completely taken aback by her response.  
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what happened... I’m sorry!” Her voice was tight and panicked, her breathing still too fast.  
“Hey, don’t even worry about it. It’s only a glass.” Peter said turning to pick up the glass shards.  
“No!” She shouted, before recoiling into herself at her outburst making Peter pause, hands hovering over the glass, “You should not fix my mistakes, sir!” She reached over and started to pick up the bigger pieces, hands still trembling.  
“Whoa!” Peter exclaimed, making Mantis pause and tense her shoulders. “What’s with the ‘sir’?” He asked frowning.  
“I am sorry. It just slipped.” She let a dry unenthusiastic chuckle between her erratic breathes. Peter just frowned deeper, standing up to grab a dustpan and brush.

Soon, between the two of them, the mess was cleared and in the bin. Mantis stood, trembling, tense as anything, head bowed before Peter and it made him feel uneasy.  
“Mantis…” He reached and gently touched her upper arm to guide her towards the seat next to his at the table, making her jump a little so he removed his hand and just beckoned her to sit, which she did stiffly, looking at her hands that were clasped in her lap. Her breathing had calmed a little but it wasn’t normal. “Mantis, why did you freak out so much, I mean you’re still trembling… it’s only a glass, Mantis.”  
“I assumed that…” She paused, carefully choosing her next words, “you would punish me violently, to ensure it never happened again.”  
“What!?” He shouted, making her jump again and tense her posture further.  
“It… it is just that when I made a mistake around Ego, he would punish me for it... to ensure my obedience, it is what is best for me as I am incapable of learning any other way.” The last part seemed to come from a different person. A script. A sentence she has heard too much.  
“But you can sense that I’m not angry, so why would I hurt you. Not that I would hurt you if I was angry.” Peter reassured quickly, not really understanding. Clearly Ego had hurt her, but why would she ever think that Peter would be the same? Her tense posture still remained, and her eyes were glued to her clenched fist in her lap, refusing to meet Peter’s gaze.  
“Because Ego wasn’t always angry. Sometimes he was sad. He said it was for my own good, and that he didn’t like to hurt me, but it was necessary.”  
“What a fuckin’ prick…” Peter muttered under his breath. “Do you really think I’m like that prick? That I would hurt you?” Peter asked a little sad, he really hoped she didn’t see him like that murdering maniac.  
“No!” She glanced up quickly, “I do not think you are like Ego at all, Peter. I assumed you would rectify my behaviour because I am your property and people do not want broken or bad property…” 

At that Peter’s mouth fell open in complete shock. What the fuck? Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK? Property! She thought she was his property? He stared at her, mouth agape, until he noticed a quiver in her eyebrow bone, and realised he’d been staring for a long time. He closed he mouth and started wildly waving his hands in the air.  
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Back the FUCK up!” He was starting to lose control of his volume, and he could see Mantis shrinking in on herself, which made him feel sick to his stomach. “You think that you’re my PROPERTY? As in that you BELONG to me!?”  
Mantis just gave a meek nod in return. Peter rubbed his hands over his face a few times, still not quite believing what he was hearing.  
“Why?!”  
“I just assumed that because I belonged to Ego, and you are Ego’s son that means that I am now yours after his death.” He brow bone lowered in confusion, like her argument made complete sense and Peter was the idiot here.  
“No…” He spoke sadly, “No, Mantis, you don’t belong to anyone. You’re not my property, you’re your own person.” Her eyes widened a bit.  
“But then why do you allow me to stay here, on your ship, and eat your food.”  
“Because I like you and you’re my friend, like Rocket and Groot and Drax and Gamora. And you’re welcome here, just like they are.”

Mantis just stared, now it was her turned to be agape, not quite understanding what was happening.  
“Mantis, look. You’re equal with everyone on this ship, including me, you’re important like everyone else too. You don’t have to earn your keep, just be a decent person, which you are so that isn’t a problem. I am nothing like Ego, at all, and that means that the relationship that you had with Ego is NOT going to be like our relationship. He abused you and used you and I will never do that to you.” Peter stopped and looked at her stunned face. “So don’t worry about a stupid glass. And I won’t ‘punish’ you for anything. That’s disgusting and cruel and I would never hit you. EVER. Do you understand? I need you to understand that.” 

Mantis just looked at him, her antennas lifting up a little.  
“Yes, I think I understand. I am to be equal with everyone on the ship, because I am your… friend?”  
“Yes! Exactly. Good job.” Peter said smiling, feeling a lot more easy. He reached forward to rub her arm, but she flinched back again and his good mood disappeared instantly. He frowned, “Why are you still flinching? I said I won’t hit you…”

“I know you won’t… I didn’t expect you to hit me, just to hurt. Why else would you touch me?”

Peter felt a new wave of sadness roll over him. She was so much more abused than he thought, and he’d just ignored it. Let Drax get away with those horrible comments.  
“Mantis… touch doesn’t have to hurt. It can feel nice.”  
“Oh…” She sat thinking for a bit, a small frown on her face, the words not really making sense. “But, whenever Ego touch me it hurt… and you and the other guardians only touch anyone to hurt them. Even each other sometimes. I have never seen touch not hurt…” Her frown not disappearing, but her tenseness gone. She spoke with such confidence, like she was 100% sure she was right and that broke Peter’s heart.

Peter stood up, and looked at her.  
“Then let me show you for the first time how touch can feel nice.” She frowned a little but did as he asked and stood up, facing him. “Trust me okay, this won’t hurt, I promise.” Mantis gave a meek uncertain nod, but it was a nod either way

Peter reached forward and placed his arms around her, and felt her suddenly tense her shoulders rising and her back muscles stiffening. She didn’t put her arms around him, only stood stiffly, her arms hanging at her sides.  
“It’s okay, Mantis. See, it’s not going to hurt.” She gave another little nod, but Peter was unable to see her facial features relaxing from the hug, He did, however, feel her muscles ever so slowly start to loosen and lose their tension. “Now, I want you to put your arms around me.”

She complied ever so slowly and they stood hugging for a minute, as she slowly relaxed. After a few seconds he felt her suddenly hold on tighter to him, and bury her head in his chest. He was confused for a second before he felt her shoulders rising and falling with sharp breaths, and he realised she was crying. He slowly started to rub gentle circles into her shoulders and lower back.  
“Why are you sad?” She asked muffled by his chest.  
“Just because it’s upsetting that you think that I, or any touch, would hurt you. But we’ll get through this together okay?”

She gave a gentle nod in return into his chest. After a few minutes of hugging and gently swaying side to side Mantis pulled away and Peter let her. Mantis wiped her tears away, and gave a little smile.  
“I am sorry for crying on you.” Then she gave a real little chuckle making Peter smile a little.  
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Any time.” A small smile found Mantis’ face to mirror Peter’s own.  
“I think I might take a nap now.” She said, still smiling and Peter nodded.  
“Sure.” He sat back down to restart his card game.

Mantis started to exit the room, pausing in the doorway.  
“Peter?” He looked up at her and gave a slight hum to signal his attention, her smile grew.  
“Thank you. Very much.”  
“Like I said; anytime. If you want a cuddle or a shoulder to cry on, I’m your man!”  
She gave a nod and left the room closing the door behind her, allowing Peter finish his game.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I got a little tipsy and played the Guardians of the Galaxy tell tale game and realised how much I like Mantis and decided to write a fic, so here. Angst and fluff for dayzzzzz.


End file.
